A version of this feature appears in the September issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition.
LOS ANGELES—More than two decades later, Jonni Darkko tells AVN his approach to any given day on the set has become simple.
He just wants to have fun.
“That’s where I’m at with everything,” Darkko says. “I just want to have great days.”
That happens more often than not for one of adult entertainment’s most prolific directors, who toasted a career milestone this summer.
Darkko in June celebrated 20 years at Evil Angel, where his signature brand of hardcore has helped define the greatest era of gonzo filmmaking.
A 2016 inductee into the AVN Hall of the Fame, the native of Chicago made an immediate impact at the legendary studio with his first release, Angels of Debauchery, in the summer of 2004, less than a year after he made his directorial debut for New Sensations.
He has since called the shots on hundreds more titles that have been distributed worldwide by Evil Angel, earning critical acclaim, dozens of industry awards and a global following for his glamorous, delightfully dirty aesthetic.
“It’s been a crazy 20 years,” Darkko says. “It’s been a great time and I give props to [Evil Angel founder] John Stagliano for making it happen and for giving me the ability to do what I wanted to do and not dictate anything, just letting me do my thing.
“It’s had its ups and downs and some struggles, but I’ve persevered through everything and been able to maintain my business when a lot of other people came and went.”
When Stagliano first signed Darkko, the studio mogul called him “maybe the best cameraman I’ve ever seen in porn.”
“He really understands how to use natural light, composition, pacing, and the best camera angles to capture great sex,” Stagliano said at the time.
Fast forward to 2024 and Darkko gets excited talking about the showcases he’s shooting this summer with two of his favorite stars—Jennifer White and Natasha Nice.
In fact he likes working with White so much that he embarked on his second showcase with her in the past two years on the heels of the ball-draining epic, Deep Inside Jennifer White, that hit the streets in July 2023.
“There’s no one in the business that does more than Jennifer White,” Darkko says. “She shoots more than anyone by a mile and she is consistently amazing. So I just absolutely love working with her. She has a sense of humor and we have great fun on set.
“I appreciate what she does and her vigor for doing amazing scenes. She wanted to do another one and we said fuck it, we do great business together and I actually enjoy when I go to set with her. I have no-stress days.”
Darkko reveals that this year’s White showcase will consist of three extended scenes—two gangbangs and an airtight.
“We just kind of want to maximize what she does with the group scenes,” he says. “That’s her jam and it’s what people watch and comment on the most. So I thought it was a good idea to do something that was really in her wheelhouse. I like shooting group scenes.”
Meanwhile it will be the first time Darkko has zeroed in on Natasha Nice for a star showcase—which has long been one of his specialties.
“Natasha has a huge, rock-solid fanbase that loves everything she does,” he says. “She’s such a professional and I really love having days with her.”
Darkko says Nice’s showcase will have four scenes with several heavy-packing studs. At the time of this interview she had already shot a DP with Rob Piper and Richard Mann that included double anal.
With showcases, Darkko says the importance of when to schedule the scenes cannot be understated.
“I like to spread it out over time because you don’t ever like the female talent to feel rushed or wear themselves out,” he reasons. “If you did a showcase in a week you probably wouldn’t get as good of an outcome with the energy. They need time between big scenes.
“And I don’t shoot pretty girls [still photos] on those days; I don’t shoot teases. I just want them to come in and do what they do.”
That talent-first strategy is one of many reasons why Darkko has long been regarded as a performers’ director.
“These are stars and you have to let them shine,” he continues. “You can’t tell Adriana Chechik what she’s going to do, you’ve gotta let that horse ride. Sometimes a stallion can’t be fucking saddled, let it buck. That kind of freedom allows people to be themselves.
“Let people do what they do best.”
That's what he did in 2023, when he reunited with Vicki Chase for a five-scene epic titled Ninfomana that went on to capture the 2024 AVN Award for Best Star Showcase in January. It marked the second time the pair had won the top prize in the genre, as the 2014 classic V for Vicki was awarded Best Star Showcase at the 2015 AVN Awards Show.
Darkko worked as a professional photographer in Chicago, honing his craft during long shooting days for large advertising companies as well as extensive lingerie catalog work. He moved to LA in the late 90s and began building his reputation as a stills photographer on adult sets before stepping up to direct for New Sensations/Digital Sin in 2003 with series such as Anal Trainer and Girl Crazy.
“I was be-bopping around for Sin City, New Sensations and JM Productions and I was basically learning everything that people were doing,” Darkko says. “And then [New Sensations owner] Scott Taylor gave me the opportunity to really let it loose.”
Darkko developed his slick hardcore style by combining his advanced technical knowhow with his own personal kinks.
“It kind of happened right away, taking what I knew from shooting girls in lingerie and all the techniques I learned from being a studio photographer,” he says. “I still apply those principles today, trying to make girls look the best I can and giving guys opportunities to do what they do best and providing an environment for everyone to thrive in.”
After helming twentysomething titles for NSDS, he caught Stagliano’s attention and by early 2004 had landed a deal with the vaunted Evil Empire.
“It all happened so fast, it was crazy when I look back at that,” Darkko says.
Since then through his Darkko Productions label he has produced at least one or two movies a month for the past two decades, adapting and thriving in the changing conditions along the way.
“I’m constantly following the technology so I’m able to give my fans better and better visuals,” Darkko says. “That’s been the cornerstone.”
As he looks ahead, he says the finish line is starting to come into focus.
“I don’t think I want to be shooting porn in my 70s, rocking up with walker,” Jonni jokes. “All the years I’ve been doing this have been challenging. It’s hard on my back, it’s hard on my body. It’s lot of work.
“I think I’ve got five to six years left and who knows where the business is gonna be by then.
“It’s been a crazy run and I couldn’t be happier with what I’ve been able to do and the success I’ve had.”
